On Friday in Moscow, Russian Vladimir Mineev defeated Brazilian Fernando Rodriguez in the third round of a kickboxing match. And after the fight, he announced that he was now taking a break from his sports career and that from Monday he would be engaged in “his military history”.
Earlier it became known that Mineev received a summons in connection with the partial mobilization in the Russian Federation. The fighter has repeatedly stated that he intends to take part in a special military operation, but he had the opportunity to fight with Rodriguez, for which, by the way, he partially prepared for Mariupol.
Some were pessimistic about Mineev’s statements regarding his future plans, there were often comments that the fighter was engaged in self-RP about NWO. A few days before the meeting with Rodriguez, Mineev strongly responded to these people
And even after the fight with the Brazilian, in a short four-minute interview with Mineev, the most striking was the response to the haters, but already on the subject of comments about “the strangeness of the fight with Rodriguez”. Mineev’s response was short: “Fuck them” (although in the original, as you understand, a completely different word sounded).
In MMA, Mineev made his debut in September 2014 and during this time managed to win 16 wins, one loss and one fight to a draw. In September 2020, Mineev won the AMC Fight Nights middleweight belt, and in October 2021, to make the only successful defense so far in a duel with his main rival Magomed Ismailov (their first duel in 2018 ended by a draw). Then Mineev entered the octagon for the last time.
Prior to playing MMA, Mineev hit great heights in kickboxing, winning championship belts in headline versions. It was through this sport that Mineev met another very successful kickboxer, Alexei Papin, who today is one of the best first heavyweight boxers in the world.
It was Papin who kneaded Mineev ahead of his Friday meeting with Rodriguez and took out the Russian flag when Mineev left to the LUBE song “Come on for…”.
After the fight, “” spoke with Alexei Papin and discussed Mineev’s performance, as well as his next steps. Naturally, we did not ignore the career of the boxer himself in light of the Russians’ exclusion from the WBC rankings, and Papin had been on the front line of the first heavyweight rankings for a very long time.
“Have you seen how they kick with their feet? I DID IT SOMETIMES”
Tell me honestly, did you expect a different result?
– No no. I thought it would be even simpler. I thought Rodriguez would be more baggy. And he managed to beat the turntables, it was a pleasant surprise. And the fight got brighter. The Brazilian cut himself in moments, and Vova even got a little. Vova even admitted that he was a bit talkative.
– You were stretching Mineev, you were in the corner. What advice did you give him? Or does it not need it?
– It is always more visible from the outside. You can be a top specialist and step into the ring to do your job. But from the side it’s more visible, so I tried to prompt it during the fight. Discussed with him in the locker room, what moments can pass, and what – not.
– Mineev fought in kickboxing in 2014, and the next fight under these rules did not take place until September 2022, knocking out Erko Jun in Elista. Agree, skills are lost when you don’t fight by kickboxing rules for a long time?
– MMA – that’s why it’s mixed martial arts. There are arms and legs. There is the same kickboxing, but because of the struggle, the technique is distorted. But it takes a little work, and it will all be remembered.
– All right, but what if we offered you to go back to kickboxing?
– It must be a good offer (smiling).
– That is to say better than in boxing?
– Naturally. After all, you have to readjust. Did you see how they stamp their feet? I used to beat like that too (laughs). And now I rarely kick my feet – about once every six months. After all, you have to kick shin in shin, and that’s an awful feeling. And then they beat the hips … And then you need padding, then after the fight along the wall you sit in the toilet (laughing). There are such moments.
“I UNDERSTAND MINEEV AS A MAN, BUT AS A SPORTSMAN… HERE HE COULD DO MORE FOR THE COUNTRY THAN HERE”
– Mineev’s fight with Rodriguez was billed as the last before his other affairs. What do you think of Vladimir’s intentions?
“No one here can say anything. It is his personal decision. As a man, I support him. As an athlete… He still has time to win more prestigious titles and prove himself. And here he could probably do more for his country – by his own example, to work with young people. That the. Maybe.
Have you expressed your opinion to him?
– In general, we talked with him, but on the phone. It’s just that after my fight (on October 29, Papin beat Damir Bello earlier than expected in Moscow), I rested for a week, then went to Lugansk and Donetsk, Makeevka for a week. I spoke with soldiers, we stopped at children’s clubs. We plan to hold master classes in Donetsk.
Do you see your function there? She is more social.
“I’ve already said that I don’t aspire to go, but if they call me, I’m not going to run!”
Now questions about your career. You are probably the one who suffered the most from Russian boxers because of the WBC’s decision to exclude Russians from the rankings.
This decision upset me a lot. They have been harassing me for two years – they promise and promise. In fact, it turns out: either a pandemic, or they can’t get along. And now…
“I AM DESTINED FOR A DUEL WITH ASBAROV”
– Well, the question of the title of Chernyshevsky’s novel: “What to do?”
There are also other organizations. For example, there is the WBA, where Alexey Egorov will fight.
– I’m going to interrupt you. In other words, are you ready to face Yegorov in the event of victory over the defending champion of this organization in first heavyweight, the Frenchman of Armenian origin Arsen Gulamiryan?
“Of course I wouldn’t. Lesha is my friend, we communicate well, we help each other in preparation. I don’t want this fight. I think we will find options to fight for the title. This objective remains the main one.
– How serious is the idea of holding a duel with Soslan Asbarov?
– I’m ready for this fight. I’m interested in this fight. Soslan is a good sportsman. He showed himself very well in a fight with Dmitry Kudryashov. To be honest, I didn’t really follow his amateur career, but, if I understood correctly, it was quite successful.
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
